Chile issues tsunami warning after earthquake

Chile has issued a tsunami warning and said people should evacuate a coastal area in the south of country after a large earthquake.

The warning was issued for the remote Magallanes region on Chile’s southern tip.

It comes after a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck 219km (136 miles) off the coast of the city of Ushuaia, Argentina on Friday at 13:58 local time, according to the United States Geological Survey.

Aftershocks have been reported in the region.

In a post on X, Chilean President Gabriel Boric said: “We call for evacuation of the coastline throughout the Magallanes region.”

All state resources would be made available to deal with any impact, he added.

Chile’s disaster agency advised residents to “act calmly and follow the instructions of authorities and response teams”.

Local media is reporting that this is a precautionary measure, with residents being asked to evacuate to safe areas which are 30m above sea level.

More than 1,100 people have been evacuated in the town of Puerto Williams, local media reports.

Footage posted on social media, as yet unverified by the BBC, showed people calmly leaving the evacuation area with sirens blaring in the background.

The earthquake struck the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica at a depth of 10km (6 miles), the US Geological Survey said.

Bases in Antarctica are being evacuated, Chile’s Antarctic institute (INAHC) told the Reuters news agency.